1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a steam iron.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
In conventional steam irons, the flow of water from the water tank into the heated steam chamber during steam ironing is regulated via a drip valve. In the steam chamber, the supplied water is evaporated depending on the sole-plate temperature, whereby the desired temperature is preselected depending on the fabric to be ironed. These known steam irons have the disadvantage that at low sole-plate temperatures, more water flows into the steam chamber than can be evaporated therein, so that non-evaporated water emerges through the steam holes in the sole-plate and leaves undesired water spots on the material being ironed.
To avoid this disadvantage, it is known to regulate the flow of water from the water tank into the steam chamber depending on the sole-plate temperature. For example, a steam iron is known from German reference DE-OS 44 10 408, in which a bimetal controller effectively connected to the sole-plate acts directly on the drip valve. Furthermore, an anti-drip device is known that is arranged in the supply channel between the water tank and the drip valve. The drawback of this device is that it comprises many individual components and entails multiple additional ultrasonic welding steps and considerable assembly expense.